91Èȱ¬

Museum offers gold toilet to Trump instead of Van Gogh's work - report

  • Published
The fully functioning solid gold toilet created by Italian artist Maurizio CattelanImage source, Reuters

New York's Guggenheim museum has turned down a request from President Donald Trump to borrow Van Gogh's work for the White House - instead offering him a gold toilet, media reports say.

The museum apologised for not being able to furnish the White House with Van Gogh's Landscape With Snow, .

But the Guggenheim suggested a "solid, 18-karat toilet" could be offered as an alternative.

The White House has made no comment.

According to the Washington Post, museum curator Nancy Spector responded to the White House request last September.

Image source, Guggenheim
Image caption,

The museum said it could not loan out Van Gogh's Landscape With Snow

"I am sorry... to inform you that we are unable to participate in this loan since the painting is part of the museum's Thannhauser Collection, which is prohibited from travel except for the rarest of occasions," she wrote in an email.

The 1888 Van Gogh painting, the email added, would be exhibited at the museum's sister institution with the permission of the owners.

However, the curator added that the gold toilet created by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan was available to the White House "for a long-term loan".

"It is, of course, extremely valuable and somewhat fragile, but we would provide all the instructions for its installation and care," Ms Spector added.

The fully functional exhibit - titled America - is seen as a pointed satire on excessive wealth in the US.

This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.
The 91Èȱ¬ is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip twitter post by The Black Pill Resists

Allow Twitter content?

This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read and before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The 91Èȱ¬ is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of twitter post by The Black Pill Resists
This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.
The 91Èȱ¬ is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip twitter post 2 by aderson francois 🇭🇹

Allow Twitter content?

This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read and before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The 91Èȱ¬ is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of twitter post 2 by aderson francois 🇭🇹
This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.
The 91Èȱ¬ is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip twitter post 3 by Kaivan Shroff

Allow Twitter content?

This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read and before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The 91Èȱ¬ is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of twitter post 3 by Kaivan Shroff

But not everyone agreed with the Guggenheim's approach:

This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.
The 91Èȱ¬ is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip twitter post 4 by AdoraDeplorableKat

Allow Twitter content?

This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read and before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The 91Èȱ¬ is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of twitter post 4 by AdoraDeplorableKat

It is common for US presidents and first ladies to borrow major art works to decorate the various rooms at the White House.